Effie was curled up on the sofa next to her grandmother, the two of them sharing a bowl of popcorn while watching TV. The afternoon sun driftedzily through the curtains, and everything felt peaceful and easy.


    But her phone buzzed repeatedly, shattering the calm.


    Her grandmother nced over, concern flickering across her face. "Effie, your phone''s been going off for a while now. Maybe you should check who''s trying to reach you it could be something important."


    Effie sighed. “Alright, I''ll see who it is."


    She grabbed a napkin and wiped the salt and grease from her fingers before picking up the phone, scrolling through the notifications at a leisurely pace.


    It was just a string of messages from Fidelia. With a small frown, Effie silenced her phone and tossed it onto the coffee table. “Just someone being dramatic," she said.


    Three hours went by. After a hearty lunch, Effie picked up her phone again and finally noticed several missed calls-some from Lindy, others from Marcia.


    A vague sense of unease settled in her chest.


    Just then, Lindy''s name shed on the screen once more. Effie pressed answer.


    "Mom?"


    "Oh, thank God you finally picked up," Lindy breathed, sounding relieved.


    In the background, Marcia''s anxious voice broke through. "Lindy, can you ask Effie if Fidelia''s with her? I''ve called them a dozen times and no one''s answering!" Marcia sounded nearly frantic.


    Effie remembered the earlier messages from Fidelia, still confused by the whole thing. "I''m not with her," she said quietly to Lindy.


    Marcia''s voice came through,


    sharper now. "What? That can''t be! Effie, are you lying? Fidelia told me youd agreed to go out with her-that''s the only reason I let her out. If you''re not with her, then where—”


    Effie cut her off. "Then Fidelia lied to you."


    "I never said I''d go anywhere with her."


    Marcia''s voice rose, tight with disbelief. "That''s not true-I saw her message you!"


    Effie answered, “Right, she did message me. But I never agreed to go."


    A pause, then Marcia snapped, "How can you be so cold? She reached out to you —anyone with a heart would have checked in, especially since she''s family! If anything happens to Fidelia, I won''t forgive you!"


    Effie was stunned by the usation. She''d never once promised to go to any escape room adventure with Fidelia Clearly Fidelia had used bet as an excuse to sneak out and now Marcia was trying to shift the me onto her.


    Effie took a slow breath. "Aunt Marcia, let me ask you something: how old is Fidelia this year?"


    Marcia, frazzled, snapped back, "She''s twenty-two! What''s your point?"


    "My point," Effie said evenly, "is that she''s an adult now. She can make her own choices and deal with the consequences. If she lied to you to go out, that''s on her -not me."


    Marcia''s voice shot up an octave. "How can you be so heartless?"


    At that, Lindy-who''d been listening quietly, unable to take any more finally spoke up. "Marcia, only called Effie because I thought she''d actually agreed to go with Fidelia. That''s what Fidelia told us.”